Timberwolves interested in signing French prospect Mickael Gelabale

SAN ANTONIO -- The Timberwolves reportedly are among the NBA teams interested in signing forward Mickael Gelabale, a native of France who is seeking a return to the league after playing two seasons with Seattle in 2006-08.

According to a report on RealGM.com, the 6-foot7 Gelabale and his agent, Bill McCandless, sent an email to all 30 teams expressing an interest to return to the league.

A twitter posting by ESPN.com reporter Marc Stein indicated that the Wolves are the frontrunners to sign the 29 year-old Gelabale, who currently plays for Valencia BC in the Spanish League. Gelabale has an option-out clause in his contract to leave Valencia for an NBA team by Jan. 30.

Wolves president of basketball operations David Kahn said last week that the club is looking for help at shooting guard/small forward to compensate for injuries at the position.

The Wolves are waiting on Brandon Roy and Chase Budinger to recover from knee injuries. Josh Howard, signed in November, was released on Dec. 20 after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

Gelabale, a second-round pick of Seattle in 2005, is averaging 11.0 points and 3.4 rebounds with Valencia BC and is shooting 40.0 percent, including 5 of 6 on three-pointers.

The last time Gelabale was on an NBA roster was with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009. The Lakers invited him to training camp but released him two weeks before the start of the 2009-10 season.